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He had barely moved from the bed since he had come back.

"Nothing," said Aleesia. "You, what is it? You\'ve been looking at me a lot."

She was sitting in a newly acquired armchair.

It was an expensive kindle purchase, at their level at least.

Although expensive, it was necessary, said Aleesia. She reasoned he would need the bed for himself, which made no sense, but he still bought the chair for her.

Its quality was pretty good, and while he didn\'t try it, she was in it most of the time.

"You remind me of Aura," said Mori.

"Ehh. You sure that\'s what you want to say?" she replied, frowning.

Mori chuckled.

As he laughed, he started choking, quickly sitting upright in the bed.

Aleesia quickly grabbed a mug, filling it with water. She ran to Mori to give it to him, only for it to be thrown to the ground.

"Stay back!" he yelled.

Aleesia took a few steps back, confused.

She took a step forward toward him again, but he held his arm up, distancing her.

"What is it?! Talk to me!"

Mori was breathing laboriously. He was grinding his teeth as he stared blankly at the blankets.

"You think I\'ll let you?!" muttered Mori.

"Let met what?!" replied Aleesia.

"Not you!" he screamed.

Aleesia took a step back.

Mori\'s face was twisted with rage. Something she had never seen from him, even when truly upset.

He was the \'calm-upset\' type, she thought. Like her father, he wouldn\'t scream, but usually shake his head in disappointment. He\'d look at her with \'those eyes\', without saying anything.

This was new.

Nothing like anything before.

"Who? What\'s happening?!" she asked.

Mori turned his head away, as if something had grabbed his attention.

"Who?!" yelled Aleesia.

Mori\'s attention snapped back to Aleesia. He was mainly surprised, but she could tell most of all exhausted.

"She\'s dragging me down. I won\'t let her. Try as much as you want."

Mori chuckled, while struggling to breath.

For a moment, he looked lucid, but he started swaying left and right, until he finally fell on his side, on the bed.

Aleesia rushed to his side. He looked out of it, his eyes were still open, blankly staring forward.

Sweat was running down his face and neck.

She removed the covers on top of him, and positioned him on his back, head against the pillow again.

She ran toward one of the dry clothes, wetting it with cold water and laying it against his forward.

"What\'s happening?!"

She wasn\'t asking Mori, but the Unkindled.

She was standing in front of it, arms crossed.

It was there, sleeping in front of its small fluttering flame. It opened its eyes slowly, looking at Aleesia.

She clapped her hands a few times.

"Hey. answer me! What happened?! What did you do?!"

I did nothing.

"He\'s never been like this, what do you mean?! Is there some sort of sickness in this dungeon?"

There is no such things here.

"So how can he look fine a moment and sick the next?!"

It\'s his own fault. He knew the risks. Let\'s hope he can win this battle.

"Win this battle?! What do you mean? Do something, at least!"

The unkindled closed its eyes again, seemingly sinking its head further into its paws, comfortably resting.

"Really?" said Aleesia. "The most useless feline I\'ve seen in my life!"

She ran back toward Mori, touching the cloth on his head. It was hotter than it ever should\'ve been, she quickly took it back, and ran toward the buckets of water to take a new one.

She put the new one on his forehead and pressed down with her hand, water dripping on the pillow.

She walked to the armchair and rolled her sleeves.

In a loud cacophonous manner, she started dragging it toward the side of the bed.

The Unkindled opened its eyes, watching as Aleesia was bending herself, trying to pull the piece of furniture.

"Damn tiles," she muttered.

One of the heels of the armchair was stuck, and as she pulled it, she hit the bed with it while turning the corner.

"Fuck. Shit."

She quickly looked at Mori, who was still where she left him. She went around, and started carefully pushing the furniture while making sure nothing would get stuck this time.

The armchair was right next to Mori, facing him. It was so close, it touched the bed, she would have to jump in it to sit in it.

Before doing so, however, she went toward the buckets of water and one by one, brought them next to the armchair.

Some water spiller everywhere, but that side of the room had nothing of too much importance that could be damaged by water.

One by one she brought them all.

After bringing the last one over, she swiped the sweat off her forehead and looked toward the middle of the room.

She was mentally debating it.

The Unkindled\'s round eyes were intently looking at her, eager in anticipation of what she would do.

She then shook her head, deciding that bringing the cooking fire next to the bed could be a risk not worth taking.

Putting a knee on the bed, she leaned over Mori, trying to take his shirt off.

She had no trouble. One of his arms being cut off truly helped the process.

He was surprisingly... not that muscular.

She had some mental image of a more muscular build. Mori, after all, was quite assertive, and \'in control\'.

She ran her fingers on his torso. Besides it being hot, it didn\'t feel that bad. His skin was smooth, and visually pleasing with the inscribed tattoo.

Something she had never seen at home. Elves never really inscribed anything on their bodies that way.

It had been done, but on weapons.

They privileged inscription, and its art was passed down without fail. Most elvish weapons that were infused with magic were done with inscription.

One of the reasons why they sold for so high.

The designs on his body was truly magnificent.

She had seen inscribed weapons before, and this looked of a similar quality.

The lines and the patterns were almost flawless. She knew nothing about the profession, but it looked good.

She looked at his only arm; it had a scar going around it. Besides that, the same inscription that ran along it.

"Huh."

She looked closer, curious. They looked like eyes.

The patterns resembled eyes, made of intricate detailed lines.

She kept running her hands around, caressing his body.

She could feel every line inscribed on his body.

"Wait."

She did a double take, leaning forward again to look closer.

She thought she was running her hands on lines drawn on the surface of his skin.

She thought the ink, or what was used created this feeling where she could \'feel them\' with her hands.

There was now lines drawn on top of his skin, rather, the lines were caving into his skin.

"All of it?"

Every line she felt brought more disbelief, all of them carved into his skin.

"...The... Artist was... quite talented."

"Talented? He\'s a butcher!" she replied.

Realizing Mori had talked, she quickly turned toward his head, and touched his forehead.

It was still burning, but his eyes were back from wherever he was staring at.

"What\'s happening?!" she asked. "Tell me!"

"It\'s dragging me down. It wants me. Or she? I won\'t let it."

"Who are you talking about?!"

"The whirlpool."

Aleesia\'s eyebrows raised.

Mori chuckled.

"You think I\'ve gone crazy."

"No, just trying to understand everything..."

She changed the folded cloth on his forehead again for a new one.

"Just rest. You can\'t die. Not now. Whoever is dragging you down, don\'t let it, okay?"

"Yes, don\'t worry," said Mori, raising his arm.

He reached for her head, caressing her hair.

"I\'m not leaving you behind. I won\'t let it get me."

Aleesia\'s expression slightly relaxed.

"Alright. Here\'s everything I need to know before you go back to sleep. 1. What and how do I make you eat if you\'re unconscious. 2. Can I make you drink while you\'re unconscious without drowning you?

3. Do I need to get you naked? 4. If you\'re so hot you could die, how to I cool you down? 5. If I you stop breathing, what should I do?

6. -"

"I won\'t die, so-"

"You\'re dying. You\'re clearly dying, and then I\'ll be alone, and I\'ll have to clear this dungeon alone, and I\'ll probably die too, and-"

"Calm down," said Mori, gently touching her cheek.

He closed his eyes, ready to rest longer.

"I am not dying here. But even if I was, you\'re strong and resourceful. You\'re a fish out of water, and you somehow learned how to breathe. Don\'t you think you changed, since you\'ve left that mansion with your maids?" he asked.

Aleesia\'s eyes teared up as she looked at Mori\'s face resting against the pillow.

She imagined him dead. How could she handle it, if resting there was a Mori that wouldn\'t wake up?

"You don\'t need me. Take your time, farm the levels, keep your own safety as the utmost priority. You\'d make it. Not that I would die, anyway."

Aleesia sat in the armchair, her knees against her chin as she silently cried.